Sidmouth Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Sidmouth Primary School Sidmouth Street, Hull HU5 2JY

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Inspection dates: 9 and 10 November 2022

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Outcome

Sidmouth Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this inclusive and welcoming school. Leaders’ high expectations and drive for improvement ensure that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Pupils behave well. Staff respond quickly if pupils have any worries or concerns, including about bullying. This helps pupils feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A large number of pupils start the school at different points in the school year. Teachers make sure that teaching builds on what new pupils already know. This helps pupils to settle well and quickly begin to make progress.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Careers events help pupils to understand that their education is for a purpose. Leaders encourage pupils to flex their ‘learning muscles’ by having a go and not giving up. This helps pupils to develop positive attitudes to learning and to build skills that will be important in later life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide pupils with an ambitious range of experiences. Pupils learn about higher education and democracy by visiting the local university and the Houses of Parliament. They value learning about important issues, such as equality. For example, a recent study of black history has helped pupils to learn about people who have stood up to racism, such as Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children get off to a strong start in the early years. Kind and nurturing adults help children to understand the routines of school. Teachers help children to build their knowledge through a balance of teacher instruction and carefully considered activities for them to access in their play.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils enjoy reading. They develop an understanding of a range of different authors. The books that pupils read complement their learning in other subjects. Staff receive ongoing training to help them to teach early reading well. Teachers check pupils’ phonic 9 and 10 November 2022

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knowledge regularly and make sure that teaching matches pupils’ stage in learning. Pupils who need extra help with reading receive frequent additional catch-up sessions. Such support helps pupils to quickly learn to read.

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Leaders work with teachers to ensure that the mathematics curriculum is taught well. Teachers explain new learning clearly and link it to what pupils already know. Carefully chosen activities help pupils to build their mathematical knowledge. Leaders provide training to help staff to understand how to develop pupils’ reasoning and problem-solving skills. An additional arithmetic session has been introduced to help pupils build their mathematical fluency. These strategies are improving pupils’ achievement in mathematics.

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In the majority of subjects, leaders have ensured that teachers are clear about the knowledge to teach pupils. Leaders have crafted the curriculum so that pupils learn about Hull and the surrounding area. For example, pupils learn about the triple trawler tragedy. However, in a small number of subjects, such as geography and history, teachers are less clear about the subject-specific concepts that pupils should learn over time. This leads to some pupils not developing a deep enough understanding in some subjects in the wider curriculum.

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Leaders have ensured that staff understand the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders provide staff with clear plans to support pupils with SEND. Staff use this information to adapt lessons so that pupils with SEND get the help that they need. Staff work closely with experts from specialist services to further develop their own knowledge and understanding of the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, pupils with SEND are well supported.

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Leaders are committed to ensuring that pupils have a broad range of experiences. For example, pupils learn about important habitats, such as the nature reserve at Bempton Cliffs, and have cultural experiences, including visiting The Royal National Ballet.

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Leaders have recently employed a new member of staff to work with families to improve pupils’ attendance. However, too many pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, miss too much time in school. This hinders their achievement.

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Governors visit the school regularly. This helps them to understand the school’s strengths and areas to improve. Together, members of the local governing body and the board of trustees provide effective challenge and support for school leaders. This is leading to further improvement in the school. Staff feel well supported by school leaders. They are proud to work in the school. Those at the early stages of their career receive appropriate support from leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained and knowledgeable about the risks to pupils’ safety. They quickly identify if a pupil is at risk of harm. If staff have any concerns about pupils’ safety, they 9 and 10 November 2022

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raise these promptly with leaders. Leaders take appropriate action, including working with external agencies, to ensure that children and their families are safe and well supported.

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Pupils are taught how to manage the risks that they might face. They understand how to use the internet safely and they learn about healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Too many pupils are absent too often. This means that some pupils miss out on important learning, which hinders their achievement. Leaders should ensure that the number of pupils who are persistently absent reduces.  In some subjects, such as geography and history, leaders have not identified how pupils’ knowledge of subject-specific concepts should develop over time. This means that some pupils do not develop sufficient depth of knowledge. Leaders should work with teachers to ensure that pupils acquire deep knowledge and skills across all subjects.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Sidmouth Primary School, to be good in November 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 9 and 10 November 2022

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 9 and 10 November 2022

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School details

Local authority Kingston Upon Hull City Council

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School details

Inspection number 10255777 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Sidmouth Primary School converted to become an academy in September 2016. When its predecessor school, Sidmouth Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted it was judged to be good.  The school is a member of the Thrive Co-operative Learning Trust.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the executive headteacher and other senior leaders.  Meetings were held with representatives of the local governing body and representatives from the board of trustees. The inspector also met the chief executive officer of the trust.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, talked to 9 and 10 November 2022

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teachers about their subject and met with pupils to discuss their learning. The inspector reviewed samples of pupils’ work and listed to pupils read.  The inspector scrutinised documents related to safeguarding and spoke to the schools’ designated safeguarding leads. The inspector spoke to staff and pupils about their safeguarding knowledge.  The inspector considered the views of staff through meetings, informal discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  The inspector met with groups of pupils in meetings and at social times.  The inspector considered the views of parents through the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Tim Scargill-Knight, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 9 and 10 November 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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